Moonville Series 1: Secret Lovers

Saturday night. Angel is walking back and forth in their living room while her sister Alex just watches while sitting on their beige sofa.

"Ate, just relax, will you?" Alex told her sister. 'Do you want to look haggard when Bryan arrives? Why else did you bothered wearing that dress and those shoes?"

Angel is wearing a green sleeveless dress paired with white single-strapped wedge sandals.

"So what?" She sat down beside her.

"Don't you deny it, Ate! I know you want to look good for Bryan. You do look good, so just relax, okay?"

Angel took a deep breath. "If we are just a normal couple, I won't be stressed out like this. But we're not."

"You're two star-crossed lovers," Alex said.

"Star-crossed? That's you and Richard."

Alex just smiled at her. Then they heard a car stop in front of their house.

"Someone is here," Alex said.

Angel looked outside the window and saw a familiar car. "It's Bryan."

She hurried out of the house to meet Bryan. He was already out of his car when she joined him. Angel felt her heart throb even more when she saw how he looks. She had never seen him looking like that before. He's wearing a blue long- sleeved polo with the sleeves folded up to his elbow, paired with denim pants and sneakers. It's different from her usual T-shirt get up.

Bryan took out a bouquet of white roses and something that looks like a cake box from his car.

"Hi!" he greeted her. He's obviously nervous as well.

"Hi... I thought you're not coming."

"I made a promise, though I apologize if I just arrived. Am I late already?"

"Ahm..." Angel looked at her white gold Timex wristwatch. "Fifteen minutes early."

Bryan was relieved. "Good." He then gave her the bouquet. "For you."

Angel suppressed the smile that was about to show on her face. "You shouldn't have bothered." She still took the flowers, though. "That's for your father to think I'm a sweet boyfriend."

All for the show again. Angel suddenly felt dismayed.

"Let's go. Dad's waiting for you inside."

Bryan's face looked more nervous. But what else can they do? They have to go in or Angel's parents might get more angry.

"Let's go?" Angel asked again.

Bryan nodded. "Let's go."

What Angel did not expect was that Bryan will hold her hand. She looked at his hand holding hers.

"So help us God."

She looked back at Bryan. He winced at her nervously, and that made her feel nervous again.

"We can do this," she said.

Bryan just nodded.

The door suddenly opened, revealing Alex and her overly serious face.

"Ate, Bryan, Mom and Dad are asking for you."

"Oh my God!" Angel suddenly exclaimed.

Angel felt Bryan squeezed her hand before he led her inside their house.

They found Alice and Benjie in the living room. They are sitting on two separate single armchairs near the T.V. set. Alex went to the sofa to Benjie's right. Angel guided Bryan to another sofa opposite their parents. The wooden center table was in between them.

Angel introduced Bryan to her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is Bryan." She suddenly felt like she was having trouble speaking.

"Good evening," Bryan greeted the two. His voice sounded nervous.

"Sit down."

Benjie's voice was so cold that Angel and Bryan immediately sat down. It was as cold as the expression on his face. Alice just kept looking at the two of them with her poker face. "When did you become her boyfriend?" Benjie asked.

Bryan looked at Benjie, but he immediately looked down upon seeing his angry stare. "This year, July 26, at exactly 6:05 PM."

Angel looked at Bryan. It seemed like he has prepared for this conversation with her father.

"A month or so. Not too long ago."

"The truth is, Angel was really hesitant because she knows you'll get mad."

"Then how did it happen?"

"I forced her to love me back." Bryan seemed to be more nervous with what he said.

"You forced her? Is that how love is?"

"I'm sorry..."

"You courted my daughter outside my house, then you forced her to love you back. Mr. De Vera, is that what your father taught you?"

"Dad!" Angel couldn't take it anymore.

"What?!" Benjie's anger shifted to Angel.

Angel was quite taken aback when her father shouted.

"What? Tell me, Angel. You know, these past few days I don't understand you anymore. You're doing things that I never thought you would do. And it hurts me. As your father I'm hurting." Angel started to cry. "Dad..."

"What? How can you explain everything?" Benjie's ire turned full blast.

Even Alex felt tense with what is happening. "Dad..."

Angel looked at her father tearfully. And then, she whispered, "I love him..."

Benjie and Alice looked at Angel in surprise. Alex gaped at her sister, while Bryan couldn't help but stare at the girl beside him.

"I'm sorry... I just love him..." Angel bowed down crying.

"Ate..." Alex also felt like tearing up.

Slowly, Bryan held Angel's hand. She looked at him and smiled tearfully. Bryan carefully wiped the tears off her face, and his hand remained on her cheek. The warmth of his touch somehow calmed Angel a little. "He loves you, too."

Everyone looked at Alice.

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The Martinez matriarch smiled at Angel. "I understand. You both love each other. What could we do with love?" She then looked at her husband and held his hand. "It has been our dream to see our children one day falling in love and being loved as much by that same person. I think this is that day."

Benjie seems to fall into deep thought. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

Angel felt confused at what is happening. "Mom..."

Alice looked at her daughter. "We just want you to be happy. And if he's what makes you happy, my child, we can't do anything about it."

Angel felt like rushing to her mother and hugging her. If only his father didn't speak.

"But we cannot just ignore the fact that you lied to us, Angelica. We were hurt and you broke our trust."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Angel said. "I just did that because I know you would not allow me."

"You let yourself fall in love with him, even though you know we hated that idea," Benjie said.

"I made her fall in love with me," Bryan intercepted. "It's all my fault, Sir. I like her so much that I did everything for her to love me."

"Why do you love my daughter?" Benjie asked Bryan.

Bryan looked at Benjie. "I don't know... I just do."

The two stared at each other for a moment. Benjie seemed to be looking at the sincerity of what Bryan had said, and the young man, in turn, tried to muster up the courage to prove the truth of his words.

Benjie was the first one to looked away. "It's not that you don't know. You just can't explain it." He looked back at Bryan. "Just make sure that you'll never hurt my daughter. Because if you did, you won't see her again ever."

"I promise that I won't hurt her." Bryan's words are full of confidence as he told them looking straight at Benjie's face.

Benjie nodded. "I'll hold on to that promise, Bryan."

The two men stared at each other again. This time, a smile appeared on Benjie's lips. Bryan also smiled as if he somehow felt relieved.

"So, Mom, Dad, everything's okay now?" Alex asked her parents.

Alice smiled. Instead of answering Alex, she held out her arms to Angel. "Come here."

Angel immediately came to Alice to accept the embrace she's offering.

"I missed you so much. My baby is now grown up." Alice started to tear up.

"Mom..." Angel started crying again.

"Enough." Alice wiped the tears off Angel's face. "Honey?" She looked at Benjie.

Benjie embraced Angel as well.

"I feel like I've grown a hundred years older."

Alice tearfully laughed at what her husband said.

"I guess I'm just jealous," Benjie said to Angel. "Before I was the only man in your life. Now you have Bryan de Vera."

"Dad..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..."

"You're still my first love, Dad," Angel said.

"Wait, how about me?" asked Alice.

"You're second," Benjie answered.

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"I'm just joking, my love." Benjie held his wife's hand while he's still holding Angel.

"Hey, I want a hug as well!" Alex joined Angel and Benjie's embrace.

Meanwhile, Bryan is just watching with a smile on his face. He's glad that everything is now settled.

"Does that mean the Wi-Fi will come back?" Alex seemed very excited.

"There goes the Wi-Fi again," Angel teased.

"Alexandra Nichole, take it easy on Twitter and Facebook, okay?" Benjie said. "We just resolve the issue with your sister, and we don't know how we will react if we find out you also have a secret boyfriend." The two sisters were dumbfounded. Even Bryan was stunned at Benjie's statement. That's why he was quite taken aback when the latter spoke to him.

"And you, Bryan de Vera, it doesn't mean that we have accepted you as Angel's boyfriend that we totally forgot about what you did to us."

Angel answered for Bryan. "Dad! Don't scare Bryan, please."

"She's right, Benjie," Alice said. "Bryan, come here, Hijo."

Bryan still approached Alice even though he's a little confused at what she likes.

"Welcome to our house, Hijo. Feel at home," Alice said as she held Bryan's hand.

Bryan felt relieved. "Thank you, Ma'am."

"Call me Auntie." She then looked at her husband. "Benjie?"

Benjie scowled as he sighed. Then out of obedience to his wife, he held out his hand to Bryan. "Welcome."

"Thanks, Sir." Bryan shook his hand.

"Call me uncle. Your father might think I'm giving you a hard time."

Bryan smiled at what he said. "Actually, he wanted to give you this." He took the cake he brought earlier. "He said this is for you, your favorite sans rival."

Benjie took the cake box and peeked inside. "Good. Your dad really knows how to get someone's favor."

"Dad, I hope you and Bryan's father reconcile as well," Angel told her father.

"Someday, Anak. Someday," Benjie said.

"Alright, since everything is okay now, let's go to the dining room and have dinner," Alice said. She then put her arm around Bryan's shoulder. "Let's go, Bryan, so that you can try my cooking," she said as she led him to the dining room. "Hey, wait! Don't you dare finish up my lasagna!" Benjie said as he followed the two.

Angel and Alex were left behind. They both marvel at the kindness Alice shows to Bryan.

"Is that for real?" Angel asked Alex.

"I think so," Alex answered.

"Mom is very kind to Bryan suddenly..." Angel said.

"Maybe because she saw that you really love each other," Alex teased.

Angel glared at her sister. Alex just ignored it.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Ate. Later, I won't stop until you tell me."

'Whatever!" Angel walked away.

Alex smiled as she followed her sister to the dining room.